Wet n Wild Shimmer the Night Away Color Icon Palette Review

Friday, November 23, 2012

Wet n Wild's Shimmer the Night Away is one of three limited edition palettes from Winter 2012's "Where's the Party At?" collection. Wet n Wild claims that their eyeshadow palettes are "a stunning collection of eight silky, ultra pigmented day to night colors. Mix&Match for a variety of looks from sweet to wild." I'm a pretty big fan of Wet n Wild's Color Icon eyeshadows, which boast and all day, crease resistant formula. A lot of people feel that Wet n Wild's eyeshadows are the best at the drugstore level, and I totally agree. Out of the three palettes in this collection, I was least excited for Shimmer the Night Away. It seemed to the Petal Pusher palette, another set of shadows that never appealed to me much. I bought this palette anyway so that I could review the whole collection. See the sacrifices I make for my readers? This palette retails for roughly $5 for 8.5g (.3oz). I bought this palette at CVS, but Wet n Wild can be found at most drugstores, grocery stores, and major retailers. Wet n Wild is a cruelty free brand. This palette was made in China.

Wet n Wild's Color Icon palettes are pretty cheaply made. A black pan with a clear flip up lid. Be very careful of how you store or pack these palettes, they're on the fragile side. A dual ended applicator is included with each palette, but I always trash it because I don't find it useful. Each eyeshadow is rectangular and has a suggested placement (browbone, eyelid, crease, or definer) pressed into it. A label is affixed to the back of the palette that includes a product description, ingredients, and a diagram demonstrating the suggested placement of each eyeshadow. Of course you don't have to follow the diagram, its just a suggestion. Makeup has no rules, right?

Shimmer the Night Away is a completely split palette. The left side is all neutral colors, perfect for creating a simple smokey eye. The right side of the palette consists of pinks and purples. Combining the colors from both shades can create a really pretty, jewel toned smokey eye. This is actually a really nice winter palette. I'm glad I decided to pick it up. Oh, and by the way, it's nothing like Petal Pusher. I'm going to review each eyeshadow individually now. Because the shadows aren't named I'll be refering to the shadows from the left side of the palette as "1" and the shadows from the right as "2".

Browbone 1 is a sheer, shimmery white. This eyeshadow isn't super pigmented, but it can be built up a fair amount. This shadow can kick up a bit of residual powder, but has a nice consistency otherwise. I use this shadow to highlight under the brows.

Eyelid 1..I'm gonna go ahead and say it now that this is my favorite eyeshadow in the Shimmer the Night Away palette. This silver has a very slight blue undertone to it. Its so richly pigmented and has the most amazing buttery texture. The finish is very reflective and metallic, but not glittery. Eyeshadows like this one is what made Wet n Wild famous again.

Crease 1 is a very dark, nearly black charcoal grey shade with silver microglitter. This shade is very well pigmented and easy to work with. I love using this super dark shade in the outer v as an alternative to black eyeshadow. This eyeshadow causes some fallout, but that's to be expected from any eyeshadow this dark.

Definer 1 is a dark black eyeshadow. In the pan it shows a fair amount of sparkle, but it has more of a sheen on the skin. This eyeshadow is perfectly pigmented and is much more blendable than most blacks out there. This shadow makes a great eyeliner. I believe this is the same shimmer black included in the Blue Had Me At Hello palette.

Browbone 2 translates poorly from the pan to the skin. In the pan it looks like a soft pink with hints of a lilac hue, but on me its more of a very light mauve. I would never use this shade on the browbone like intended, but I love using it to blend out other colors. This shade has a demi matte finish. It would be fantastic in the crease for a very natural eye.

Eyelid 2 is a really unique shade. Probably the most unique in the palette. A bright fuchsia with a blue duochrome reflect. Unfortunately this eyeshadow doesn't turn out quite as strong on the lid, it needs to be worked with a bit to build up its full intensity. A shade like this one is can be really hard to pull off, so use it sparingly.

Crease 2 is a pretty violet purple. Like the shade above it, it has a little bit of a blue reflect but not enough to call it a duochrome. This shade has a matte base with silver glitter overspray. The silver glitters do not adhere well to the shadow and cause fallout. This is very average in texture, not easy or hard to work with. Really nothing special

Definer 2 is the prettiest shade of the Shimmer the Night Away palette, at least in the pan. This eyeshadow is somewhere between an indigo and royal blue. Unfortunately the color payoff isn't great, it needs two or three layers to look the way it does in the pan. This shadow is very soft, borderline powdery, causing fallout on the eye and excess powder in the pan.

As a whole this a good but not awesome palette. I like the variety of textures and finishes, and I think the color selection is really pretty, but not all of the shades translate onto the lid perfectly. Out of the three palettes Shimmer the Night Away has the best wear. None of these eyeshadows crease or fade on me when worn over a base or primer.

Wet n Wild's Shimmer the Night Away palette is pretty good. Its a well thought out palette that's very appropriate for this time of year. You can create a variety of dark, smokey, jewel toned looks with this palette, its definitely not for the kind of girl that likes a neutral eye. This is a palette for drama queens. I'm glad I grabbed this palette, though I wouldn't repurchase it. Its just not the kind of palette that I see myself working through quickly. I definitely recommend the Shimmer the Night Away palette if you're planning to do a lot of partying this holiday season.

2 comments

I never thought of it but punk funk quad by elf is pretty similar...I'm not saying they are straight on dupes but fairly close...well except for the highlighter shade. *sorry just thinking outloud and making myself feel better for not buying it lol*